Armadillo ill-suited to survival on highways

May 10, 2012

Written by

Francis

SKALICKY

Now that warmer weather has arrived, there’ll be more sightings of one of Missouri’s most unique-looking mammals – the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcintus).

Of course, the places these “armored” mammals will be seen most frequently are in the middle and on sides of our highways – dead. That’s because one of the creature’s self-defense maneuvers works well in the wild, but not so good on highways.

Much of an armadillo’s body is encased in a bony carapace, but that’s not their only unique characteristic.

Armadillos can quit breathing for up to six minutes. When they come to small streams, they simply walk across the bottom and emerge on the opposite bank. When crossing larger rivers, they hold air in their stomachs and intestines. This makes them buoyant and allows them to float across the water to the other side.

Armadillos are found in various habitats, but they prefer wooded bottomlands, brushy areas and fields with ground cover.

The reason so many armadillos are found dead on the road is not because of poor mobility. On the contrary, armadillos are efficient runners. What gets them in trouble is their trait of leaping into the air when startled. In the wild, this reflex can momentarily confuse a predator. However, in the path of an oncoming vehicle, a leap straight into the air does nothing but ensure the creature’s demise.

When Europeans first came to the New World, armadillos resided only in South America, Central America and parts of Mexico. It’s thought the armadillo’s northward movement is partly due to the increase in the amount of plots of tilled earth, a decrease in the number of large carnivores occasional transportation and release by humans. Whatever the reason, armadillos began appearing in Missouri approximately 30 years ago and have been here ever since.

Armadillos do not hibernate – they simply weather a cold winter by finding food and shelter from the elements as best they can. As a result, armadillo numbers in Missouri vary, depending on the severity of the winter.

An armadillo’s digging activity can be problematic for homeowners and there are solutions available.

Rule 3 CSR 10-4.130 of the Wildlife Code of Missouri allows landowners to use lethal methods to control most species of wildlife causing property damage, including armadillos.